


Everything Inside Your Heart

by gyuhan



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bikers, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Double Life, M/M, Single Parent Kim Mingyu, Teacher Yoon Jeonghan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-29 18:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyuhan/pseuds/gyuhan
Summary: Leading a double life as a doting father in the day and a member of an infamous biker gang at night has never been much of a problem for Mingyu. Or rather, it wasn't much of a problem until Jeonghan—rival gang member and prominent feature in Mingyu's dreams—shows up on the first day of preschool. His daughter's first day, specifically. As her teacher.





	Everything Inside Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Stream [Call Call Call](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgR_HJ7aGDY) on YouTube, you fools.

Of all the ways Mingyu has imagined running into Jeonghan during the light of day—and make no mistake, there had been a _lot_ of ideas in his head over this, most of which ended very differently than one might imagine they would considering the whole _‘mortal enemies who don’t even like the same type of alcohol’_ thing along with the whole _‘in two different rival gangs’_ thing—he’d never predicted something like the scenario he’s currently found himself in. 

Jeonghan isn’t even wearing the red leather jacket that frequently haunts Mingyu’s dreams, which is almost too blasphemous to even begin to believe. But it’s more than that. Jeonghan is wearing pink. _Baby_ pink, in fact, which is an even bigger kick in the gut because it makes Jeonghan look deceptively gentler than Mingyu knows he actually is. Pink makes Jeonghan look soft, and sweet, and not at all like he could drop someone twice his size in a fight without even breaking a sweat (Mingyu had watched it happen before and, thankfully, he’s glad to say that that’s the extent of his knowledge of Jeonghan’s fighting skills). 

And seriously, a baby pink apron over a loose— _even lighter—_ pink button up? With little heart shaped patches sewn into each of the three pockets on the apron? Well, first of all, clearly it’s just the designer of the apron’s intention to make Mingyu’s heart flutter at the sheer _cuteness_ of it even when alarm sirens are going off in Mingyu’s head. Second of all, aren’t three pockets one pocket too many? It seems excessive. 

But, then again, maybe Jeonghan needs the extra pocket considering how many toddlers he’s currently swarmed by, their stubby fingers clutching at any part of Jeonghan that they can reach just to get his attention. Because he’s in a _preschool_. Because, if the outfit is enough to go by, he’s a _preschool_ _teacher_. The preschool teacher who is apparently going to be taking care of Mingyu’s _kid._

The last time Mingyu saw Jeonghan was with a split lip and patches of dried blood under his nose after a rough break negotiating with Seungcheol on behalf of Wonwoo; it was just some petty territory dispute that probably could have been done and over with through conversation, but Jeonghan wasn’t known to kiss anyone’s ass and he tended to shoot off at the mouth when provoked, which only lead to more trouble. He’d only gotten a glimpse of Jeonghan as he came barreling past him in a furious storm, boots and the tires of his dirt bike skidding through the gravel as he sped off without so much as a glance in Mingyu’s direction. 

Blood is entirely absent from Jeonghan’s face now as Jeonghan squats to pinch at the chubby cheeks of a little boy who appears to be pouting over a book. Mingyu has basically forgotten how to close his mouth while he watches from the doorway as Jeonghan plays around with the kids, sometimes turning his head to yawn into his shoulder before going right back to jumping around with a little girl who’s telling an exceptionally creative and increasingly bizarre story about an alien with an affinity for cauliflower. It’s frighteningly endearing how attentive Jeonghan is even while he’s blatantly fighting off sleep. Jeonghan seems like he needs nap time more than the litter of five year olds tearing up the classroom. 

A tug jerks him back to reality and he shakes himself quickly, looking down apologetically at where Eunbi is impatiently beginning to pull at his calloused hand, her tiny hand grasping at his fingers steadfastly. She pops out her lower lip in a pout that shoots straight through his heart and he’s reminded just how dangerous his daughter can be. 

He swears he didn’t teach her how to manipulate people into paying attention to her, she just picked it up from him on her own. And, okay, yeah, maybe he’s a little proud of her because of that. 

“Dad aren’t you going to introduce me?” she huffs, the ends of her short hair bouncing as she puffs up her chest like she can intimidate him into doing as she wishes. 

Right. Introducing his daughter to the right hand man of the rival biker gang that’s been getting on his nerves almost daily is _totally_ something he wants to do (note the fire-putting-out _buckets_ of sarcasm used in that sentence). Because apparently Jeonghan’s day job is as a teacher. Because that makes sense. That’s a totally reasonable civilian job for a gang member. Taking care of snotty nosed kids during the day and then relieving stress by riding out at night and getting into brawls over trivial disagreements instead of using words. Exactly what you’d expect.

And this situation is not one he wants to put his daughter in, because who knows what Jeonghan could do with this information? What he could do to Mingyu’s daughter? This is something Jeonghan could use as leverage against Mingyu and subsequently his gang and Mingyu can’t risk that. He can’t risk his daughter getting involved—getting _hurt._ The whole reason Mingyu is in the gang in the first place is because Seungcheol sought him out and begged him to join, enticing him with heaps of money that could help pay for Eunbi’s schooling, give her good chances to get out there in the world and make something of herself. 

His own record was tarnished by petty crimes when he was younger, having went through a rebellious stage in his early twenties. No decent jobs will hire you when you’ve been to jail before. He could barely support his daughter all on his own. Seungcheol gave him an offer, they had a history together in jail, and Mingyu couldn’t refuse. Not in good conscience, at least. He had to do what he could for his daughter. 

And now he has to think about his daughter’s safety. 

Taking a step backwards without moving his eyes away from Jeonghan, Mingyu begins to tug her back out of the doorway to Jeonghan’s classroom. 

From the side of his mouth he mumbles, “Come on, let’s go back to the car for a moment.”

Eunbi’s face scrunches up in confusion and her straight brows come together heavily over her eyes, fingers twisting in his hand like she’s about to tug her hand away and walk straight into the classroom on her own. She’s always been so independent and smart despite her age and Mingyu can’t have that. Not now. He quickly drops to a knee and scoops her up with his hands moved under her armpits. 

He stands, holding her tight to his chest while keeping an eye on Jeonghan who still hasn’t seen them, and whispers into the side of her head, right above her ear, “Flatfish.”

Their code word. 

Before Eunbi could even fully make sentences Mingyu was teaching her how she could protect herself and how they could protect each other. Starting with the basics: never talk to strangers, don’t trust anyone who tries to get her to go somewhere with them, and if Mingyu was hurt he’d send Uncle Seungkwan to get her, not a stranger. Then things got more complicated as she grew up, and by five she’d learned that ‘flatfish’ (her least favorite fish) meant danger; either of them could use it and because of Mingyu’s side job in Seungcheol’s gang he’s taught her ways to work the word into conversation over phone if she was ever taken. 

Which he will never let happen. No one knows about her besides Seungcheol and Seungkwan. No one else will. Jeonghan _can’t._

Eunbi’s hands tighten around his neck and her face grows confused, looking around with frantic eyes for something dangerous that she can’t see. But she nods. Despite not seeing anything wrong she knows to believe him, to trust him. Her bottom lip wobbles a little as she buries her face into his neck to hide herself, to let him protect her from whatever is wrong. 

He hates that they even need a word like that. Hates that he’s putting her in harm’s way every night he goes out. It wasn’t a concern early on, violence uncommon if not unheard of in the early years of the group, but now with newer, younger, more desperate groups burgeoning the scene has gotten more dangerous. Mingyu only has a few more months left to pay off his debt to Seungcheol. Already has all the money he could need, so that debt is the only thing left from getting him to retire and find any mundane job he can. 

_Just a little bit longer_ , he thinks as he presses a kiss into Eunbi’s hair and begins to whirl back a step, ready to leave.

Except his shoulder connects with the doorway and something falls from the shelf beside it and he freezes, half in the classroom and half out in the hall. There’s a plastic container full of chalk upended on the floor in front of him. He gives it the most sour, withering look he can manage before hurriedly glancing up when he remembers the severity of the situation, hair at the back of his neck standing on end.

Jeonghan’s mouth is parted, lips pink and everything Mingyu _doesn’t_ need to be focusing on right now when he should be bolting out of the room and moving Eunbi to a different school. But Jeonghan… Jeonghan looks… scared? Worried. Jeonghan looks _worried._ His eyes rounded and his hands clenching into the pink apron he has on as his face turns away from Mingyu’s and to the kids at his feet. Jeonghan says something to them, voice too quiet to hear, and then the kids grab each other’s hands and stumble away and over to an overstuffed toy box in a corner far away from Mingyu. Mingyu watches them waddle about for a moment and then goes back to Jeonghan. 

Jeonghan has already started walking to him in that short amount of time and Mingyu visibly startles. Jeonghan’s wringing his hands together and looking over Mingyu’s body in all the usual places for weapons, jaw clenching tighter with each step he takes. The tension smothers all the air once he stops three feet away from Mingyu and Mingyu’s finding it harder and harder to breathe right when Jeonghan’s eyes land on his face again, this look about him like he’s suffering from the world’s most annoyingly painful migraine. 

Mingyu tightens his hold on his daughter and doesn’t know whether he should pretend to be unbothered by the circumstance he’s found himself in or not and settles instead on forcing himself to appear pissed and intimidating. He’s pretty good at acting scary what with his height and the severity of his sharp features, but anyone who knows anything about him knows how sweet and clumsy he is. His friends affectionately call him ‘big puppy’ all the time and if that doesn’t show how wildly _not_ scary he is then he doesn’t know what else would. 

But Jeonghan?

Jeonghan _knows_ him. 

Well, Jeonghan doesn’t _really_ know him, but he once saw Mingyu walk into a door and then ask it when it got there (which he never would have done had he known that Jeonghan or anyone else was _right there_ across the street and _watching_ him) so… Jeonghan probably isn’t all that convinced by the act—or, rather, Jeonghan _shouldn’t_ be convinced by it. 

But Jeonghan crosses his arms in front of himself protectively and hisses out, “What are you doing here?” 

And that’s not right. 

That’s defensive. There’s concern underlying his body language and despite the way he’s physically closing himself off he’s also widening his stance like he’s trying to protect something. 

Jeonghan _is_ scared. 

He’s the scariest member in his gang and _he’s_ the one who’s approaching Mingyu like he’s going to have to fight his way out of this and _doesn’t want to risk it._ He doesn’t want to lose. 

Mingyu thinks he must’ve stepped (or tripped, more realistically) into a parallel dimension somewhere along the path between here and his house. Has Jeonghan ever been scared of him before? They’ve never actually said more than a few scathing words to each other, but in those few times they’ve clashed Jeonghan had never seemed intimidated in the slightest. Actually, Jeonghan almost seemed to pointedly ignore Mingyu whenever he saw him. 

Despite being rival gangs, they were also in the two oldest gangs still on the streets these days so their groups were both rivals and unhappy allies; meaning, they interacted a lot more than any other groups. Mingyu was actually sort of friends with Minghao from Jeonghan’s group and Jeonghan often ended up talking to his group members a lot. He never talked to Mingyu much, though. 

Perhaps he believed Mingyu to be cruel and chose to stay as far away from him as possible so as to not invite his wrath. Just that thought alone is so ludicrous Mingyu almost laughs. 

It’s the oddity of this entire situation and the worried furrow of Jeonghan’s brow that has Mingyu replying honestly with: “Preschool.”

Jeonghan scans his face for the lie he’s looking for but comes up empty, shoulders visibly starting to sag a little in relief. Whatever horrible and violent scenario he must’ve thought up on the walk over to Mingyu must’ve been incredibly traumatic, because Jeonghan actually _sighs_ and let’s his eyes close so he can breathe again. But then he straightens back up and his eyes snap open like a glass doll’s, lips puckered in confusion as the words _really_ start to register. 

“Pre...school?” His gaze drops to Mingyu’s legs like he expects to see something down there before he screws up his face and questions, “Then where is your—”

Like someone’s gone and flipped on the lights, Jeonghan’s eyes widen as he suddenly notices and takes in the back of Eunbi’s head tucked under Mingyu’s chin. 

“How did I not…” Jeonghan trails off under his breath, mumbling to himself like this situation is getting increasingly more bizarre which Mingyu can agree on.

Bizarre because Mingyu finds that that knot of terror that had started to build up once he saw Jeonghan? Yeah, that’s nonexistent now. He’s no longer fighting back his fight or flight response and what does that mean? Why does his brain and his gut no longer get how nerve wracking this should be considering how he and Jeonghan _should_ be enemies. Considering how _no one_ in his nightlife knows about Eunbi besides a few of his members? Where are his fatherly instincts at to warn him now?

Mingyu supposes it’s just too hard to label Jeonghan as a threat when a little wobbly little boy with puffy, tear stained eyes approaches Jeonghan from behind and suddenly attacks his leg in a tight hug before breaking down into a sob, babbling about someone taking his red crayon and not giving it back. 

Jeonghan hesitates only for a second, eyes flickering between Mingyu to the boy like he’s hurriedly assessing Mingyu’s threat level before deciding that—just like Mingyu—the proposed threat has been cancelled out by all the toddlers causing mayhem behind him. He turns away from Mingyu and drops to his knee in front of the boy, beginning to ask all the right questions in a soft, kind voice that makes the dad in Mingyu want to take notes. 

Jeonghan is good at this. Being a teacher, Mingyu guesses. A caretaker and a… a gentle soul. Which is something Mingyu never thought he’d say about Jeonghan, the man he once saw spit blood out onto the concrete like it was a regular occurrence that didn’t even phase him. It’s jarring and weird and Mingyu shifts a little to pull Eunbi more to the side and away from Jeonghan. 

He can’t get distracted by how strange all of this is. The fact still remains that no one should know about Eunbi. None of his real, civilian life should ever clash with what he does with Seungcheol.

He watches Jeonghan begin scolding another boy who’s stubbornly clutching a red crayon in his hand and shaking his head back and forth, the crayon snapping in his tiny little fist just as Mingyu utilizes his long legs to step back and walk out of the building with big, loping steps, gait fast paced. He’s out of there in under a minute, in less time than it’d take for Jeonghan to even have noticed that he snuck (or rather, how he ran) away.

In the parking lot, he settles Eunbi back down in her car seat and buckles her in, hands shaking with adrenaline and his breath in serious need of schooling back to something resembling a normal pace. He curls his fingers around the lapels of the belt buckle’s straps and just holds himself there for a moment, backs of his knuckles against his daughter’s small shoulders, his eyes closing.

 _Breathe_. 

“Dad?”

He opens his eyes and meets hers, the same eyes as his, same dark lashes blinking up at him in uncertainty. 

He has to snap out of it. 

“Just—Just hold on,” he placates, pulling away to start sliding the door of the minivan closed. “Not clear yet.”

He hears the click of the van doors locking, the child safety lock testing itself, right as he rounds the back fender of the van and freezes midway through turning the keys over in his left hand. His right hand stops midway through skimming along the back paneling of the van and his fingers curl into a fist there, his back straightening to his full height, shoulders squared.

Jeonghan stands a few paces away by the back of another car, his hands interlocked and down by his thighs, head angled slightly towards the asphalt. He doesn’t seem particularly threatening but Mingyu feels something twist awfully in his gut and he clenches his jaw instinctively. He can’t let that harmless image Jeonghan showed inside his classroom weaken Mingyu’s resolve. He can’t trust him.

Slowly—once Jeonghan catches Mingyu looking back—he speaks.

“I didn’t realize you had a daughter.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this was supposed to just be a oneshot but I feel like it could be more? So I'm going to leave it open and add additional chapters whenever I want while trying to keep the chapters short, I guess. SVT just finished their Ideal Cut concerts (and announced their comeback BINCH) and Mingyu and Jeonghan's solos have not left my head at all since then so I'm a little out of it right now—meaning this might have some egregious mistakes, but... I'm gonna post it anyway.
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/kaiftmingyu), [gyuhan twit](https://twitter.com/forgyuhan/), [tumblr](http://gyuldaengie.tumblr.com/)


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